Generally, a user terminal can acquire content by accessing a Web application server on a network such as the Internet. The Web application server performs a sequence of operations: accepts a request from the user terminal, carries out some processes in response to the request, and returns processing results to the user terminal as a response to the request. Upon receiving the response to the request, the user terminal outputs it to a display or the like.
However, if it takes time for the Web application server to perform the processes, the Web application server cannot return a response to the user terminal right away. Communications between a user terminal and server apparatus are cut off if no response is received within a limited time between transmission of a request and a communications timeout. In the case of cell phone communications and the like via a wireless communications network, timeout intervals are very short. Also, it takes a great deal of time for a server apparatus to process large volumes of image data or high-resolution image data. Thus, if a user terminal (cell phone) requests the server apparatus to process image data, communications will be cut off frequently, lowering operability for the user greatly.